DIY bubble bars with essential oils

Work hard, play hard—but don’t forget to relax! A hot bath brimming with bubbles can transform any day into a delightful one. Whether baths are essential to your routine or an occasional indulgence, you are going to love these bubble bars.

Learn how to make them!

Yield: 6-8 bubble bars

Time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup baking soda, plus some extra

1 cup sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (SLSA)*

1/3 cup corn starch

1/3 cup cream of tartar

1/3 cup vegetable glycerin

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon water

20-30 drops essential oil—try our fun suggestions below!

Natural soap dye or food coloring

Wax paper

*What is sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (SLSA)? Not to be confused with sodium lauryl sulfate, SLSA is naturally derived from coconut and palm oils. In this recipe, SLSA’s job is to make lots of bubbly foam.

Instructions:

1. Measure out all dry ingredients, and strain them through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of any clumps. Mix together with your hands.

YL Tip:We wore gloves to keep our hands clean and our manis on point.

2. In a separate bowl, measure out all wet ingredients, including your essential oils. Mix together.

3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix with your hands until you form a dough with a somewhat crumbly texture.

4. Separate the dough into two bowls, and add natural soap dye or food coloring. Mix well by kneading with your hands until the color is fully incorporated. This may take a few minutes.

5. Put one piece of colored dough onto a sheet of wax paper sprinkled with baking soda. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangle shape about ½ inch thick, pressing together any cracks in the dough with your fingers.

6. Place the second piece of colored dough on top of the first, and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to the same rectangular size as the first. The result is the two pieces layered on top of each other.

7. Using your wax paper, slowly begin to turn the dough over on itself to roll it up. Gently press any cracks togetherwhen they form, keeping the roll intact as much as possible. Keep rolling until you have a cylinder.

YL Tip: If your roll is cracking a lot, drizzle a tiny amount of vegetable glycerin on cracking spots to help them stick.

8. Squeeze the ends in to make the roll tight.

9. Cut the roll into slices that are 1-2 inches thick.

10. For best results, let the bubble bars dry for at least 72 hours before use.

To Use:

As you fill your tub, break up the bar under the faucet. The flow of the water will work with the bubble bar to create big, fluffy bubbles!

YL Tip: The swirl design is fun, but there are lots of other ideas out there. You can use cookie cutters to make cool shapes, layer colors on top of each other for a neat stripe effect, or use a mold to get a fancy, store-bought look.